Who Should I Start? Ka'imi Fairbairn or Chase McLaughlin
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Ka'imi Fairbairn News
Sunday, August 9, 11:53 AM
Houston Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn was nearly automatic last season. He made 44 of 48 field goals in 15 games, tying the NFL single-season record, and didn't miss once from inside 50 yards. Fairbairn was plenty dangerous from farther out, too, hitting nine of 13 attempts from 50-plus and finishing with 25 made field goals from at least 40 yards. That workload helped him average a position-best 12.9 standard fantasy points per game. Asking for another 44 field goals would be aggressive, especially if Houston does a better job turning red-zone trips into touchdowns this year. Fairbairn doesn't need that kind of volume to stay near the top of the position, though. He has converted better than 91% of his field goals in three of the last four seasons, and RotoBaller has him 165th overall and K2 in its August 8 half-PPR rankings. Aubrey is the first kicker off the board, but Fairbairn belongs right behind him.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Chase McLaughlin News
Tuesday, July 21, 4:55 PM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin has had a strong run in his three seasons with the Bucs, but he'll likely be kicking for his job in a contract year in 2026, according to Logan Robinson and River Wells of Sports Illustrated. McLaughlin has made 90.1% of his 101 field-goal attempts (26-for-30 from 50-plus yards) while connecting on 97.5% of his 122 extra-point attempts in 51 regular-season games in the last three years in Tampa. However, the 30-year-old former undrafted free agent out of the University of Illinois made only 84.2% of his 38 field-goal tries (11-for-12 from 50-plus yards) in 17 games last year, which was his worst field-goal percentage of his Bucs tenure. In his defense, blocked kicks and special teams woes were partly to blame in 2025. If McLaughlin bounces back in 2026, he should be paid as one of the top kickers in the league. But if he struggles, he could be cut midway through the season. In a new offense this year, McLaughlin should be viewed as a fringy starter at the position in 12-team fantasy leagues.
Ka'imi Fairbairn vs. Chase McLaughlin
Still trying to decide between Fairbairn and McLaughlin? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Ka'imi Fairbairn is projected to score 8.3 points this week while Chase McLaughlin is projected to score 7.6 points.
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